


when the day turns over

by vivific



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adam is not a Paladin, Adashi-centric, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, Getting Back Together, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Third Person, Rating May Change, Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-07-03 02:39:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15809640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivific/pseuds/vivific
Summary: “Please,” Keith says, brows drawn tightly together, “I don't know why I'm so focused on this whole thing, but I need to know. If it's nothing at all and I'm just crazy, then you can laugh at me all you want for it, but if it's actually something–”“Okay, kid, I think you're out of your goddamned mind for waking me up this early to talk about some ancient etch-a-sketches,” Adam says, “But if you want me to keep an eye out, then I will.”An AU where Adam is the one who helps Keith the day Shiro crash-lands back onto Earth, and all that entails.





	1. Prelude

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by the lovely [Sangrylah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sangrylah/pseuds/Sangrylah/works/) <3
> 
> If you don't read tags, this isn't a Paladin!Adam AU. Not even after S2's finale.
> 
> Shiro/Sendak is relevant for most of S1 but it gets resolved pretty quickly. It's unrequited so take caution, **Adashi is endgame here**.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 02/09/18 edit: Rewatched S7E1 and remembered Hunk was in Keith and James' class for whatever reason, so I added Shiro recognising him too.

Adam wishes he hadn't gone to see Shiro off.

There are still hours until lift-off, but many preparations to complete. Once Shiro leaves this room, he'll be busy getting strapped in and waiting out the groundwork until he's blown past the atmosphere and into space. It's his, and any of the astronauts', last chance to see their loved ones.

Commander Holt and his son are seen off by Mrs. Holt and her daughter. Adam watches Officer Holt gift his younger sister his glasses, and his sister nearly knocks him to the ground with an affectionate elbow. The parents watch with matching smiles, sharing one last hug.

“I will miss you, terribly,” Mrs Holt says, her voice quietly choked up. Commander Holt caresses her hair and kisses her forehead.

“I will miss you, too, my love.”

Adam turns away. Perhaps, another time, he and Shiro would have been like them.

Keith leaps from the seat beside Adam. Shiro's finally entered the room. The man's eyes light up at the sight of Keith, then waver for a second on Adam. Keith can't hold still any longer and flings himself into Shiro’s arms for a hug.

“Be good, Keith,” Shiro says, ruffling Keith's hair. The teen scowls, and steps out of reach to brush it down.

“Don't get yourself into any trouble,” Keith says, “and I won't either.”

Shiro laughs, and hugs Keith to his chest again. Keith reciprocates. They whisper something to each other, and Adam can't help but feel like he's intruding on the entire room. He's not supposed to be here.

Finally, they pull away, and Keith steps aside and stares at a wall. He's making room for Adam.

Shiro's smile falls, and he approaches Adam with a calm, unhurried air. Unlike the desperation of the Holts, yearning for a final moment, Shiro has already accepted this separation.

Adam forces himself to mirror Shiro's professional ease, and meets his eyes without any expression.

“I didn't think you'd come,” Shiro says, “But I'm glad you did.”

Adam hasn't even begun to ask why, when Shiro removes his gloves. On his left hand, is the engagement ring Adam gifted him. Shiro slides it off without a hint of hesitation.

“Please, Adam,” Shiro says, his voice devastatingly cool and detached, “Find someone who makes you happy.”

Adam's throat closes up. He wants to slap the ring out of Shiro's hand, wants to yell in his face until security drags him away, wants to demand and ask how Shiro could ever expect him to move on like they hadn't spent most of their lives with each other. How Shiro could ever even _imply_ Adam would keep the set of rings and use it to propose to someone else.

Adam wants a lot of things. It doesn't mean he'll get it.

He reaches for the back of his neck, and unclasps a chain. From beneath his shirt and sweater appears a ring, matching the one Shiro's returning. Adam takes the counterpart, and adds it to the necklace. He holds Shiro's gaze, and loops the rings around his neck.

“Don't do anything stupid up there,” he says quietly. “Or do. I won't hear about it anyway.”

Shiro finally shows some emotion, and flinches at his words. Adam nonchalantly tucks the rings into his shirt again.

“I'll be careful,” he says, his voice just slightly caught in his throat.

Good, thinks Adam. Good.

He turns on his heel and leaves without another word.

 

The first night without Shiro is quiet and lonely. The bed is too empty. All there is are the ambient noises of the walls and Adam's own breathing.

He counts sheep and names constellations and recites various alphabets and hugs what used to be Shiro's pillow.

“It's fine,” he whispers. “You were always going to leave me anyway.”

Adam breathes out.

“You loved the stars more than you loved me.”

It's nearing dawn, his eyes droop closed, and in the last moments of lucidity, he wonders at how he's already talking about Shiro in the past tense.

 

Keith stays in line, for the most part. His peers know to stay out of his way, even Griffin, and Keith seems to have accepted his friendlessness. Adam hopes he'll soon figure out how to work in a team, otherwise no amount of piloting skill or talent will keep Keith in the ranks.

“Lieutenant Madeira. You're needed.”

Keith intervened between two junior cadets who were fighting. One of them punched him, so he punched back.

“I didn't do anything wrong,” Keith says on the way back to his dorm. He got away with a swollen cheek. It’s nothing at all compared to previous fights.

“I know you didn't,” Adam says, “And Shiro would think the same as well if he were here.”

“Why are you picking me up anyway?” Keith asks. “You and Shiro broke up.”

Adam keeps the grimace off his face, and calmly says, “Shiro still has me listed as your secondary guardian.”

“Ugh, whatever,” Keith says, crossing his arms. “Once I graduate I'll be leaving anyway.”

“You won't stay with the Garrison?”

“What? You think I'm actually gonna make it in?” Keith scowls. “I don't do this whole brothers-in-arms thing. Piloting is fun, but I'm just not cut out for military.”

“Did you ever tell Shiro about this?”

They reach Keith's dorm. Keith fishes out his key and fiddles with the lock silently.

Adam frowns. “You didn't tell Shiro.”

The door slides open, and Keith crosses the threshold. He turns to face Adam.

“It's none of your business,” he says bluntly, before slamming the door shut.

Adam shuts his eyes, and takes a deep breath.

Teenagers. Keith's just being a teenager. It's not his place to push him. Adam just needs to give him some space.

Keith’s right, anyway.

 

The Garrison sends him regular updates about the crew, even if Adam technically doesn't have the clearance to know about it. Aside from Shiro's condition, the information is nothing particular, the same things they'd tell the public, only with a shorter delay. Shiro's doing fine, and the electrostimulators are working even in deep space.

They're not cleared to send messages, but Adam doesn't want to hear any anyway. Jasmine of Communications lets slip she sends Shiro updates on Keith, and Adam pretends he doesn't hear her.

He tried to be casual with the updates, they're all normal anyway, but he can't help himself from pushing the notifications to his Garrison-secured phone and making sure everything is alright with the crew.

Adam tells himself it's not for Shiro, but for Keith, for Adam would defy clearance to make sure Keith heard about any tragedy from the source rather than through the media.

He fails.

 

“What the _fuck_ do you mean, 'pilot error'?!”

Adam used to find stepping out of simulations disorienting, but it's a lot more distressing to step out of the room and find Keith howling at Commander Iverson. The teen's fists are clenched, clearly ready to make things physical if he doesn't get the response he wants. Iverson turns to Adam and, for the first time in a long time, looks rather alarmed and uneasy.

“Lieutenant Madeira,” Iverson begins, “There's been a situation.”

Adam misinterprets. He passes Iverson, acutely aware that the students waiting their turns in the simulator are eavesdropping, and rests a hand on Keith's shoulder. The boy throws it off.

“Can you believe them? Shiro would never make such a mistake!”

Adam's blood runs cold. He meets Iverson's eyes.

“What's going on?”

Iverson sucks in a breath, but Keith beats him to the punch.

“The Kerberos mission failed, the crew's dead, and they're saying it was Shiro's fault!”

It takes all of Adam's training to keep himself grounded.

“I– I think we need to discuss this elsewhere,” he says, his voice painfully distant. “Commander, if you could get someone to cover for my class–”

“You're lying!” Keith spits again, stepping towards Iverson. “Shiro wouldn't make that kind of mistake and you don't _know_ he's dead–”

“Keith, please, we can talk about this–”

Keith rounds on his, eyes flashing, and something strikes Adam's heart.

“Everyone already knows, Adam,” he snarls, “it's all over the news!”

 

“I'm sorry you had to find out this way,” Jasmine says, setting down a cup of coffee. “I was under strict orders not to disclose any information to you.”

Adam ignores the cup, and rubs at his eyes.

“You didn't even tell the Holt family before making that media release,” he says quietly. “That's cruel, even for the Garrison.”

“There's a lot you don't know, Adam,” Jasmine says.

“So it was because of his illness, wasn't it?”

Jasmine shuts her eyes. Adam picks up the offered coffee and holds it between his hands.

“I told him not to go,” he mutters, “I told him it wasn't safe, that Sanda was right, and now Commander and Officer Holt are dead, too.”

“It's complicated,” Jasmine says, looking away. “Shiro didn't... They'd already made it to Kerberos for weeks, Adam. Shiro... He...”

Adam shakes his head.

“Thanks, but you should stop before you break confidentiality.”

The cup is burning his hands.

Jasmine rises and rounds the lounge table. She places a steady hand on Adam's shoulder.

“I am so sorry, Adam. Shiro really loved you.”

Adam doesn't answer. The pressure eases, and Jasmine walks away.

He sips the coffee, even though it scalds his tongue.

Does it matter that Shiro loved him?

He didn't love him enough to stay and die with Adam by his side.

The cup clatters onto the table and burns his fingertips. Adam presses the backs of his hands to his face, and sobs.

 

The Garrison Academy calls off classes the next day, calling it a day for mourning. Shiro's office, vacated when he left for Kerberos, is turned into a shrine of sorts. Shiro has no surviving biological family, which saves Adam the pain of passing on the news to Japan. Commander Holt was never a teacher, but Officer Holt gains a memorial of his own in the Academy, in the Trophy Room.

The Academy isn't open to visitors, but Adam sees a young girl in casual wear sitting next to all the flowers and letters. She looks up at him, and she's wearing Officer Holt's glasses.

“I'm sorry,” Adam says instinctively. The girl's face scrunches up.

“Why are you sorry?” she demands, rising to her feet. “It's not like you killed them.”

She turns back to the bouquets.

Katie Holt is too certain of that.

 

The lack of closure is the worst part about it.

Adam always knew Shiro was going to die. _Shiro_ knew he was going to die. But Adam always imagined it being gradual. Shiro would drop things more often, his limbs would tremble, perhaps one day he'd find Shiro on the floor, his arms and legs useless, and Shiro would spend more and more time in the hospital, and Adam would take time off classes to see him until he died holding Adam's hand.

Instead his body is as far away from Adam as is humanly possible now.

Adam hates it.

 

Keith gets expelled a week after Shiro's death. He knocks three teeth out of a junior cadet and gives him a black eye. It's not a playground brawl, it's outright assault and battery, and the Garrison is having none of it.

“Did you find out why?” Adam asks.

The Academy head frowns.

“Apparently it was something Cadet Flaherty said about Lieutenant Shirogane.” His shoulders slump. “Regardless of the cause, it's inexcusable and goes against the Academy's code of conduct.”

“I understand,” Adam says.

 

Keith packs up in complete silence, and Adam doesn't push things. There's nothing they can do to resolve the situation. Keith is out for good.

When they pull up at Adam's place, Keith doesn't unload the two suitcases from the back. Instead he pulls out several collapsed cardboard boxes, and slams the storage shut.

“What are you doing?” Adam jumps out of the driver's seat.

“I'm moving out,” Keith says. “I just need you to drive me.”

“And _where_ exactly are you going?” Adam demands, following Keith up the front steps.

Keith unlocks the door and heads straight for the stairs. Adam quickly locks the car and tails him up into Keith's bedroom.

“I'm heading back to my pop's place,” Keith says, popping the boxes open. There's not much left to pack, just some knicknacks he didn't take with him to the Academy. “And I'm only telling you this so you don't bother me about it.”

“Keith, you're not an adult yet–”

“I'm seventeen,” Keith bites back, tossing things into the box without a care, “That's close enough that no one'll nag you about me.”

“Oh really? A seventeen year old runaway who just got expelled and has a record won't raise any flags?” Adam deadpans.

Keith slams the box to the ground and turns.

“Stop pretending you care about me!” Keith snarls, eyes pinning Adam down. “You cared about Shiro, and now he's gone, so you can stop. I'm _fine_ , I'm an adult, and I don't _need_ you to stick around! I know you don't like me, so here's your chance to get rid of me already!”

Keith's words echo in the empty space, and Adam watches as Keith breaks eye contact, and his head dips towards the ground. His arms shake. The kid lowers himself to the floor, and sobs into his knees.

“You really think I stuck with you for Shiro?” is Adam's first response. “And now that Shiro's dead I suddenly don't need to care about you?”

Keith doesn't reply, only sniffles and covers his mouth with his hand.

Adam steps over the boxes, and drags Keith from the floor onto the edge of the bed. They sit, and Adam pulls Keith into his arms. The boy doesn’t resist.

“Shiro saw something in you that no one else did, Keith,” Adam says slowly, rubbing the teen’s shoulder. “He always did have his heart on his sleeve, but he had faith in you. You've had a rough life, kid, but I see what Shiro saw in you. You've got guts, and you always stand your ground. You care for people and you'll do anything to keep them safe.”

“God, you really do have bad eyesight,” Keith chokes out, though he doesn't let Adam go.

Adam can't help but chuckle, and ruffle Keith's hair.

“If you want to leave, I won't stop you, just... I do care about you, Keith. Please let me know you're okay.”

Keith rubs at his eyes.

“I need to be alone,” he mumbles, “I just need to be by myself again, in the desert.”

“I'll drive you,” Adam says, “But I'm not leaving you helpless.”

“I don't _want_ –”

“It's not about what you want, Keith,” Adam says, gripping his shoulder. They meet eyes. “You can be on your own all you like, but I've already lost one member of this family.”

Please, Adam doesn’t say, don’t make me lose another.

Keith eyes fall shut, and he leans into Adam's chest.

“I'm... sorry I said those things.”

Adam rubs his back.

“Do you really believe what you said?”

“I... I... don't know.”

“Liar,” Adam scoffs.

“Whatever,” Keith says, closing his eyes, “I don't want to talk about it.”

Adam exhales.

“That's fine. We don't have to.”

 

The cottage is in poor condition after all those years abandoned, but Keith is determined to make it habitable again. Armed with bug spray and bleach, he tears down the cobwebs and sets on cleaning the place.

“I'll camp outside for tonight,” he says, calmly, hair tied back into a stubby ponytail. “It's not like it'll get any colder.”

“Are you sure about that?” Adam asks, practically curling in on himself from the dust mites.

“Relax, city boy,” Keith says, “I'm used to this.”

“And where are you getting your food from?”

“I can hunt.” Keith says, bluntly. He catches Adam's look. “I'm kidding, I'll make rounds by the nearby town.”

“I wonder why I don't believe you,” Adam deadpans. His nose itches, and he sneezes. “Okay, I am not entirely comfortable leaving you here now.”

Keith groans. “Adam, I got this, seriously! All I need to do is do some sweeping and wipe everything down and it'll be fine!”

“Then,” Adam sighs, “I'm staying with you.”

“No, you're not,” Keith says, “You have classes to teach.”

“Family emergency.”

“We're–” Keith's jaw clicks shut. “And where are you sleeping? My tent's only built for one and you already scream at spiders.”

“Nature is goddamned terrifying,” Adam admits, “But I'm not leaving you out here while this place is all,” he motions at the general area of cobwebs and dust.

“Look, drop by tomorrow evening, I'm sure it'll look better; you don't have to stay with me,” Keith says. “Besides, you're a busy person, and it's not like you can handle cleaning this place anyway, so you should just go back to the Garrison and come back tomorrow.”

Adam's lips thin.

“Fine, but if you get mauled by a wolf or something, I totally called it.”

Keith shrugs.

“Sure, whatever.”

 

True to Keith's word, he does get the cottage up and running in a day's work. Soon it looks like it was never abandoned at all, and Adam can finally stomach sitting down on the floor without thinking too hard about what's touched it.

Keith seems to have living independently under his belt, thankfully, though Adam still cringes at the jarful of instant noodle seasoning packets on the kitchen counter. Cooking was never Shiro's forte, or a part of Keith's innate skills, and by the time Adam and Shiro moved in together, Keith would just grab food Adam made and hide in his room to eat it.

“What the hell is this?”

“This,” Adam drops the grocery bags on the kitchen counter and turns to Keith, “is Cooking 101.”

“One-oh-what?” Keith deadpans. Adam rolls his eyes.

“I'm teaching you how to cook something that isn't ninety-nine-percent sodium.”

“Adam, I'm fine–”

“Uh-uh,” Adam holds up a hand. “I tried teaching Shiro once, so I'm hoping you're a better student than he was. Let's start with the basics.”

“I really don't think I need–”

Adam draws a spatula and points it at Keith's face.

“Listen, if I come by one day and find you passed out on the floor from sodium overdose I will take you back home and–”

“All right, all right, fine!” Keith surrenders. “What do I do?”

Adam retracts the spatula and beams.

 

Soon Adam feels comfortable enough leaving Keith on his own for more than a week, though he nags Keith to send him picture updates to make sure he's not drowning in piles of garbage or whatever. Keith's annoyed by it, Adam can tell, but Adam promises to get off his case provided that, so he obliges.

Adam himself gets caught up in the whirlwind of another school year ending, with all the testing that accompanies it, and gradually he visits Keith less and less. Keith still sends him periodic updates to prove he's alive and well, and Adam has no problem fuelling Keith's little gap year.

Until one day, just before the new term is to begin, Adam opens the house door to find Keith, standing in the moonlight.

“What the fuck?” Adam says, readjusting his glasses, “It's like– too fucking early is what it's like.”

“Nice to see you too,” Keith says, and pushes his way in.

“Shoes off!” Adam shuts the door. “What are you doing here?”

Keith kicks his boots off for the pair of guest slippers and unslings his backpack from his shoulders. He rifles through it on his way to the living room.

“Okay, so while I was in the desert, I found something–”

“Oh god, you've actually gone crazy,” Adam rubs at his eyes and flips on the lights. “Can this wait another four hours at least?”

“No, because the deadline is in a week,” Keith says, dropping his bag on the coffee table and pulling out papers.

“Deadline? What the fuck did you _find_?”

Adam sits down across from him and stares blankly at the pages. Keith's putting together some sort of map and spreading photos over them.

“So I felt something– some kind of energy while I was exploring the area,” Keith says, “and I found these weird caves with carvings on them. They tell a story of how a blue lion fell from the skies and–”

“Hold up,” Adam rubs at his eyes. “A _blue_ lion?”

“Yes, it says how the blue lion came to Earth and fell into a slumber at the heart of those ruins.” Keith says. “I checked the place out a few times, but it's so vast I–”

“Please don't tell me you're making me scour through the desert with you for some sort of ancient legendary artifact.”

“I'm _not_ ,” Keith says, “And stop interrupting me.”

 “I'm listening.” Adam waves a hand. “I think.”

“So these ruins also told me something else. They say that next week, in exactly a week, at 12:13AM, something is going to happen at the far western field of the Garrison compound.”

“Hang on, hang on,” Adam squints at the maps. “And how did you get that time and location?”

“Well, I had to adjust for modern timekeeping and leap years and seconds, but there were moon revolutions etched into the walls. And,” Keith pulls up a low-lit image, “There was a map carved into the stone here. See, before the Garrison was set up here, this place was just another part of the desert, but I cross-referenced it with–”

“Okay,” Adam squeezes his eyes shut. “So what is it? The end of the world? An apocalypse? Why are you telling me this at four in the fucking morning?”

Keith sucks in a breath, and breathes out.

“I don't know what it is, but it feels really important, and I just– I feel like I need to check it out.” Keith pulls out more photos. “All I really know is something is going to arrive at that location, and since it's by the Garrison, I won't be able to check it out myself.”

“You want me to look into it for you?” Adam's brows furrow. “If a UFO crashes into Earth, I'm pretty sure you don't need _me_ to see what it is.”

“That's not it, the Garrison'll keep you and anyone else quiet about it–”

“Oh god, you sound like a conspiracy theorist, you know that right?”

Keith slugs him in the arm and Adam yelps.

“Please,” Keith says, brows drawn tightly together, “I don't know why I'm so focused on this whole thing, but I need to know. If it's nothing at all and I'm just crazy, then you can laugh at me all you want for it, but if it's actually something–”

“Okay, kid, I think you're out of your goddamned mind for waking me up this early to talk about some ancient etch-a-sketches,” Adam says, “But if you want me to keep an eye out, then I will.”

Keith's shoulders relax, and he smiles.

“But,” Adam adds, staring Keith down over his glasses. “If it's nothing at all, then you owe me lunch.”

“Can do.” Keith says, grinning now. “Thank you, Adam.”

“You’re welcome,” Adam replies.

Keith begins to clear up the papers.

“So, I'll drop the explosives off later this week–”

“The _what_.”

 

Keith has to get it from Shiro, Adam thinks, because this is exactly the sort of nonsense Shiro would pull in their cadet days.

Adam makes sure to be in sight of the security cameras that night, preparing lesson plans for the new cadets. It's been a rough first week, after all. If it turns out Keith's research was for nothing, then it's best to give Adam an alibi when explosions randomly go off tonight.

And if Keith is right... still, all the better.

He forces himself to focus on the lesson plans and seem at ease; if someone catches wind of Keith barrelling onto grounds, then no doubt he'll still be suspect. But, as long as Adam’s not too suspicious, no one will be able to pin anything on him, and Keith will be smart enough to get away with it.

Adam grimaces. There's the cold feet, now. Keith won't be able to get away with blowing something up on Garrison grounds unless that predicted arrival of whatever is _really_ big.

He's so lost in his thoughts, he startles when Iverson's voice booms through the PA system.

“Attention, this is not a drill, all students are to return to the barracks immediately, I repeat, this is not a drill. Code Zulu Niner–”

Zulu Niner. Unidentified flying object headed towards the western grounds.

Keith was right.

He pulls out his phone.

“I can't tell you anything right now, Adam,” Jasmine says, audibly short of breath. “Just follow protocol!”

As a teacher and a pilot, there's little for him to do except rendezvous with the rest of the non-essential staff. He gathers his things and heads out.

It's a calm chaos when he gets to the meeting room, everyone knows not to panic, but most of the chaos comes from what they don't know. After several tense moments, Commander Deforte appears, and addresses the room.

“There was a UFO landing near the grounds,” she reports, “It carried a single passenger, a human, who's presently being transported into quarantine–”

A harried looking officer scurries into the room and to Deforte's side, whispering urgently into her ear. Her eyes narrow imperceptibly.

“I see,” she says, and the officer steps aside. “You are all dismissed.”

So like the Garrison, Adam thinks: ask no questions, get no answers.

He rises, and leaves with the rest of the staff. Someone is staring at him.

 

He makes it all the way to the hall his dorm is, before he turns around and addresses his tail.

“What is it?” he asks the officer who intercepted Deforte.

Lieutenant Juarez's lips purse. He steps closer, and leans in to whisper.

“You didn't hear this from me, Madeira,” Juarez says, “But Shirogane was rescued from that ship.”

Adam’s breath catches in his throat. The officer pulls back, a blank expression hiding his sympathy.

“How's Kogane doing, anyway?” he asks casually, then turns on his heel and leaves.

Adam stumbles his way back to his room.

 

He doesn't sleep all night. A part of him wants to sneak out through his window like a cadet, but what common sense hasn't been overridden by “oh my stars Takashi is alive” is screaming at him to stay in place until at least sunrise. He needs to keep a low cover, and if Takashi is alive, and they've spent so long apart, he can wait another few hours.

The moment the night sky turns a dim blue, Adam hops into his bike and peels off for Keith's cottage.

 

“So, you live here alone?”

“Yeah.”

Voices… Human voices…?

“Where do you get food?”

“I run to town every now and then.”

Too young… Not children… Adolescents?

“What’s with Shiro’s arm?”

“The med tech called it an alien prosthetic–”

“Hey! Don’t touch him!”

“Whoa, calm down there, buddy.”

“I’m sorry, just, let him sleep off the sedative.”

Light filters in. The surface is rough and his limbs are loosely bent. There’s no tightness of restraints. Shiro blinks at a wooden ceiling.

“Keith…?”

The familiar face floats into his vision. Something touches his shoulder.

“Hey, Shiro,” Keith says, an earnest smile forming, “You’re safe, I got you out.”

“Where… The Garrison?”

Keith shakes his head. “You’re in my dad’s old cottage. Me and a bunch of cadets rescued you.”

There’s a throbbing pain in his head.

“They put you under, so you’re probably still dizzy,” Keith says. He turns away for a moment.

“Here,” an unfamiliar voice says.

“Thanks, big guy,” Keith says, and turns back to Shiro. “Can you drink some water?”

Shiro feels hands, many hands, help him sit up. His vision adjusts, and he takes in the cadets. They’re young, probably first year senior cadets at most. He recognises McClain, Garrett, and–

He squints at the cadet with glasses, but before he can voice his confusion, Keith presses a cold glass into his hands, concern in his eyes. Shiro takes it. The taste of it makes his hands shake.

Water… Earth water. Water from the Garrison area no less.

His hands shake so hard, Keith takes the half finished glass from him before he drops it. Shiro presses a hand to his face. He’s shaking all over.

He’s safe now, he’s safe, he can’t break down in front of these children.

“Thank you, for rescuing me,” he forces out. “I… Can I go get some fresh air, by myself?”

“Can you walk?” Keith asks.

Shiro tries. The sedative’s effects linger, but he manages to stand on his own. He presses at his head again.

“I’m just gonna, step outside for a bit, please.” he says to Keith, making for the door.

Keith guides him to it, and Shiro is astounded by how the mere feeling of an Earth doorknob makes him quake.

He steps outside into the Terran desert.

 

“Is he gonna be okay?” Hunk asks, after Keith leaves the door slightly ajar so they can keep an eye on Shiro.

“He only got a short-term sedative,” Pidge says, “The Garrison wanted to interrogate him immediately, they just didn’t want him to fight in transport.”

“Man, the guy got abducted by aliens, though,” Lance says, waving his arms, “That’s crazy.”

“Hang on, you don’t _know_ he got abducted by aliens,” Hunk says, looking mildly anxious. “Maybe they’re really nice aliens who picked him off of Kerberos!”

“Did you miss the part where he was yelling about aliens destroying worlds?!”

“God, shouldn’t you guys be dead on your feet or something?” Keith asks, scowling by the door, one eye on Shiro. “You pulled an all-nighter. What were you even doing at the crash site anyway?”

“Well,” Lance starts, gesturing, “I was planning on doing some late-night sneaking out with Hunk and Pidge to strengthen our team bond, but Pidge ran off to the rooftops with some fancy homemade equipment and started rambling about aliens or whatever, then Iverson called that Zeller Nine whatever code and we saw Shiro’s spaceship crash.”

“Zulu Niner,” Pidge interjects, “It means an unidentified flying object of unknown origin is headed towards the far western grounds.”

Keith’s brows furrow at Pidge. “What were you looking for?”

“I’ve been listening to wavelengths from deep space,” Pidge says, “They keep saying…”

 

Shiro’s surprised at how the sight of a desert is driving him to instability. He kneels down on the ground and brushes his hands over the rough earth. He’s home. On Earth. Not galaxies away on an unknown command ship. The planet is spinning – a planet he _knows_ – around a star he knows and in temporal increments he understands.

He’s home. He’s safe.

For now.

The ground trembles under his palm, and tires squeal. He rises.

A dark motorcycle stops yards away, and the passenger disembarks in a rush, yanking their helmet off. It takes seconds for Shiro to register the face, but by the time the biker’s features click in his mind, Adam seizes him in a hug, and sends them both toppling to the ground.

The sun peaks over the horizon, and Adam repeats his name into his ear.

“You idiot, Takashi,” he says, grabbing at the front of his shirt, touching his chest, his arms, blindly making sure Shiro’s physically there. “God, you stupid, stupid idiot. I thought you were dead. I thought you fucking _died_.”

“I remembered you,” Shiro hears himself saying, flesh hand running through Adam’s helmet hair. Adam’s hair. _Human_ hair. “I thought of you.”

Thought of all the things that could have been.

“I was right, though,” Adam gasps, “I was so right, you shouldn’t have gone, you shouldn’t have _left me_.” The man chokes for air, and sobs into Shiro’s chest. “But you’re back, you’re not dead, and I–  I lo– I just– I’m so sorry for what I said.”

Shiro laughs, for some reason, and holds Adam close. He can’t tell who’s shaking harder.

“It’s all right,” he says, “We’re safe now. I forgive you.”

Adam lets go of his shirt, and pushes himself up to his hands and knees. His face crumbles at Shiro’s appearance. He runs his fingers over the scar on Shiro’s nose, then over the tuft of silvery hair, then eyes Shiro’s right arm.

“My God,” Adam breathes. “What happened to you out there?”

“I… I can’t really remember,” Shiro says, closing his eyes. The ground is rough, and there’s grains of dried dirt and dust in his hair, but Adam’s weight is familiar and comforting. “It’s a huge blur. I just remember the mission, and being captured, but then…”

“Takashi,” Adam’s voice breaks. “Kerberos failed over a year ago.”

Adam seizes his flesh arm, and Shiro opens his eyes. They tear up.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispers. “I missed you, so much.”

Adam covers his mouth and laughs, despite the telltale tears.

“God, you sap,” he says, “I missed you too.”

From the cottage door, Keith yells:

“Are you two done already?!”


	2. The Rise of Voltron (Part One)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam reconvenes with the cadets, Shiro catches up with Keith, Adam and Shiro have a Moment, and the group explores the mysterious energy source coming from the desert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy crap almost 100 kudos in two weeks im cri. i've been blindsided by uni a bit so this chapter was stuck in my drafts for the most part. also before y'all continue:
> 
>  **I added a Shiro/Sendak tag.** It's onesided on Sendak's part, but it gets wrapped up by the end of S1 and Adashi is definitely, absolutely, unquestionably endgame here.
> 
> Also don't expect any real plot developments in this chapter. After 5k I managed to do NOTHING except have them talk about feelings. Oops? (I have a feeling that's how most of this fic is gonna go...)
> 
> (Thanks again to Sangrylah for putting up with my filler <3)
> 
>  **Edit, 09/16/18:** Oops, Shiro isn't supposed to mention the Galra by name yet.

“Is that Professor Madeira?” Hunk asks, peering over Pidge and Lance’s shoulders.

Through the door and its frame, they can see Keith making his way over to the men. Madeira gets off of Shiro and helps him up. They’re both flustered by Keith’s yell, yet Madeira still takes the time to brush the dust off of his clothes, and pauses to flick some sand out of Shiro’s hair. Keith mutters something at the two, taking a stance Lance recognises as the ‘You Better Not Be Up To What I Think You Are Up To’ pose literally every one of his older family members have pulled.

The three exchange some words, and Lance catches a confused look on Shiro’s face and an alarmed one on Madeira’s. Madeira rounds on Shiro, but Keith snaps something at them and turns on his heel. Hunk pulls Pidge and Lance out of the doorway.

“Act casual!” Hunk says, immediately finding the peeling paint on the wall worthy of keen inspection.

“That _never_ works!” Lance retorts, but Pidge flops down on the couch with her bag, pretending to be or actually going through it. The remaining cadet looks around, trying to find something to do, and manages to sit down beside Pidge just before the door opens.

Adam enters the room to see McClain staring straight at him, frozen in the way one is when caught doing something they shouldn’t be. Garrett and ‘Gunderson’ are with him too.

Wonderful.

“Keith,” Adam says, face coolly expressionless, easing into Professor Lieutenant Mode. “Before you explain to Shiro what’s going on, can you explain to _me_ why these cadets are here?”

“They helped me save Shiro,” Keith says bluntly, walking toward a cloth-covered wall. “Sort of.”

“Lovely,” Adam says, and stares the cadets down. They fidget. “And what are the chances you all got off Garrison grounds without being identified?”

Keith shrugs. Adam shuts his eyes.

Thank god he didn’t take his phone with him, it’ll buy them some time before the Garrison tracks him down. If the Garrison knows Keith was involved, no doubt they’ll search for him at the cottage anyway. Keith’ll probably be charged with trespassing and destruction of property, but the rest of the cadets, and _Shiro_ …

Fuck. What did they just get _into_?!

Shiro caresses his shoulder. Adam doesn’t mean to flinch. They share a quick look. His hand touches Shiro’s, only to pull it away from his shoulder.

Adam sighs, and makes his way over to the wooden chair by the makeshift coffee table. He sits down, and takes off his glasses to clean them.

“Explain what you’ve found.”

Keith tugs a tarp down to reveal a bulletin board of notes and photos, complete with string pointing out locations on a map. The rest of the room blinks.

“ _What_ ,” Shiro begins, stepping closer to the board, “have you been working on?”

As Keith launches into an explanation of the area, he skims over his expulsion from the Academy. Adam sees Shiro’s eyes narrow at the mention, but to his credit, he doesn’t interrupt. Hunk and Pidge’s brains are going a mile a minute, clearly ready to try and supplement the technical know-how Keith’s lacked. When he finishes, Shiro closes his eyes and his alien ( _alien_ , Jesus fucking Christ) arm comes up to touch at the back of his neck. His nervous tick.

Shiro finally nods.

“I see,” he says, and turns to the cadets. “I suppose I should thank you for saving me.” He holds his hand out to McClain. “Lance McClain, right? I’ve worked with your sister, Veronica.”

Lance hesitates at the alien arm, but eventually shakes it. Meanwhile, Hunk seems to have remembered the whole _alien_ thing, and stares off into space when Shiro offers his hand. Katie takes it instead and introduces herself as Pidge. She asks about the rest of the crew, and Adam tenses up at the regret in Shiro’s voice. Before Adam can perhaps throw in a hopeful suggestion – that if Shiro survived, there’s a chance the Holts did too – to reassure Katie and alleviate Shiro’s guilt, Hunk begins to visibly meltdown.

Shiro’s arm twitches to comfort Hunk as the cadet begins to ramble, but goes still. Lance pushes Hunk into the couch instead.

“They’re not coming for anyone,” Shiro says, his voice familiarly calm. Children, they’re dealing with _children_. “I think they’re looking some _thing_ on Earth. Some kind of weapon called ‘Voltron’.”

Pidge snaps her fingers and Hunk jumps from the sound. “That’s right! Voltron! That’s what I deciphered from those deep space emissions!” She reaches for her bag.

“Your _what_?” Adam interrupts. Pidge ducks her head and mumbles something about transmissions and wavelengths. She pulls back from the sack.

“Where’s my notebook?”

“Oh, you mean this?” Hunk pulls a small notepad from his back pocket. “I thought it was your diary--”

“What were you doing in my stuff?!” Pidge demands, swiping it back.

“I was looking for something to eat!” Her teammate justifies. Hunk turns back to Shiro. His anxiety is overshadowed by something else. “Pidge told us he was using his homemade tech to search for signals from deep space, and I noticed the repeating series of numbers the aliens are looking for looks a lot like a Fraunhofer Line.”

“Frown-who?” Keith deadpans. Adam’s lips quirk momentarily.

“It’s a number describing the emission spectrum of an element,” explains Hunk, “only this element doesn’t exist as far as I know, so I thought maybe it was this Voltron thing. I think I can build a machine to look for it, like a Voltron Geiger counter.”

“Looks like someone paid attention in class,” Adam says, giving Hunk a quick nod. “That’s some good work there, Garrett.”

“It’s pretty fascinating, really,” Hunk beams, pulling out a folded paper. “The wavelength looks like this!”

They get a second to see the jagged lines of a graph, before Keith grabs the sheet out of Hunk's hands – “Give me that!” – and holds it up against a picture of the desert outcroppings. Hunk’s jaw drops.

“They’re… mapping out the silhouette of the rocks,” Lance says, awed.

Adam’s eyes narrow. “Keith, did you ever find out what sort of civilisations lived in this area?”

“I tried,” Keith says, “But I couldn’t find anything concrete.” He folds the paper back up and returns it to Hunk. “Go ahead and make that machine of yours, big guy. We’ll head out as soon as you’re done.”

“Hang on a moment,” Adam holds up a hand. The group’s eyes fall on him, but he meets Keith’s. “I know we are all in a lot of trouble already, but this seems to be something the Garrison should handle.”

Something familiar flashes in Keith’s eyes and his lips curl back into a snarl.

“Oh, you mean the same Garrison that said the Kerberos mission failed because of a _pilot error_?”

Shiro’s brows furrow. “‘Pilot error’?”

Damn it.

Keith’s eyes fall to the ground. “They covered up your disappearances,” Keith says, and his fists clench. “Blamed it on your mistake. Didn’t even tell any of the astronauts’ families before they pushed it to the media.”

“Wait, sorry,” Hunk’s voice is pitching upwards, “not to intrude but, are you saying the Garrison already _knows_ about aliens?!”

“That would explain why they were so calm about Shiro crash landing,” Lance says, voice at a whisper.

Pidge bites her lip. “They’re Garrison officers, they’re supposed to be calm.”

Adam’s hands shake.

_There’s a lot you don’t know._

“They knew about the abduction,” he says, straightening. “They knew, and they kept it from everyone. They gave me updates about your missions, but they never updated me about the failure.”

“Adam...”

Shiro touches his shoulder again, but like before, Adam steps aside and Shiro’s hand falls. The professor focuses on Hunk.

“Garrett, start putting together that machine, I’ll get you any extra supplies you need.”

“Right away, sir,” Hunk complies, before turning to his teammate. “Pidge, wanna help me?”

“Sure,” says Pidge, shouldering her backpack. She gives Hunk a pointed look. “As long as you don’t go into my stuff again.”

“Your girlfriend looks pretty in that picture, though, I can see why you kept it--”

“Hunk!”

The two head out through the door as quick as they can. Lance glances at the two Lieutenants and ex-cadet.

“Uh… I’ll go see if they need help,” he says, just as quickly, and sidles out of the room.

The door shuts and Shiro looks back to Adam.

“You okay?” he asks, voice low.

Adam doesn’t reply. He leaves after the cadets.

Shiro turns to Keith. The teen’s peering at the map again. Shiro joins him.

“Why did you leave the Garrison?” he asks.

Keith’s eyes lower to the floor.

 

He finds the cadets huddled around the back of Keith’s cottage. Pidge is emptying her pack of tools, while Hunk scribbles on a loose piece of paper, and Lance looks somewhat lost.

“So,” he says, making them jump. “Can any one of you explain to me why you were at the site of the crash?”

Hunk looks up from his schematics, eyes wide. “Will we get in trouble if we do?”

“Oh definitely,” Adam replies, crossing his arms, “I’ll go report you to the same people who lied to my face about the fate of my colleague.”

“You will?!” Lance squawks.

“That was sarcasm, Lance.” Pidge says. “I’ll explain, Lieutenant Madeira--”

“Call me Adam,” he says. “Unless you’re going to call Shiro ‘Lieutenant’ as well.”

“Okay, then, uh... Adam,” Pidge returns to unpacking her supplies. “It’s like this…”

 

“Your name came up during class,” Keith says, eyes fixated on the bulletin board. “Juarez said you were one of the best pilots the Garrison ever trained, and Flaherty said you couldn’t have been that great if you were the reason why the Kerberos mission failed.”

“And what did you do?” Shiro prompts, calmly.

Keith stiffens.

“I don’t regret what I did,” he says, staring at the map. “I would have left the Garrison even if I’d graduated. I’m not a… I’m not a military kind of person.”

Shiro doesn’t reply. Keith’s shoulders go lax. His head dips forwards.

“I’m guessing you’re disappointed in me.”

“No,” Shiro says. “You’re an adult, now at least. You can make your own choices, and choose your own path. Not one I had set out for you.”

“Shiro,” Keith finally turns to face him, “I am grateful for everything you’ve done for me--”

Shiro grabs his shoulders, and meets his eyes. There’s no disappointment or worry in the man’s expression, only an acceptance.

“I’m proud of you, Keith. I always have been, and I always will be,” he says. “Whatever happens after this, I will support you.”

“Thank you…” Keith murmurs. “But…”

“What is it?”

“Nothing,” Keith frowns. “It’s… What about you and Adam?”

“What _about_ us?” Shiro asks, letting go.

“Adam… Stopped me from running away after I got booted,” Keith says, turning back to the map. “He told me he’d already lost you, and he couldn’t lose… well... he didn’t _tell_ me, but I got the idea.”

“Keith…”

“I’m glad you’re back, Shiro,” Keith says, smiling at him. “We’ve missed you a lot.”

Shiro’s lips quirk upwards, and he tugs Keith into a hug.

“I’ve missed you, too.”

The door swings open. Keith and Shiro turn, arms still around each other. Adam blinks. There’s an amused smile on his face.

“Am I interrupting something?” he asks rhetorically, leaving the door slightly ajar and walking past them. “Hunk and Pidge need the toaster.”

Keith pulls away first and frowns as Adam unplugs the appliance. “Am I gonna get it back in working order?”

“I doubt it,” Adam says, rolling up the cable, “But if they don’t replace it, I will. Promise.”

Keith shrugs. “Go crazy.” A light bulb goes off. “Actually, lemme give it to them.”

“What?” Adam’s too baffled to stop Keith from taking the toaster out of his hands. “Wait--”

Keith hums in acknowledgement and makes a beeline for the door. Adam tries to follow.

A hand grasps his. He freezes.

“I think,” Shiro’s voice is still, “we should talk.”

Adam’s shoulders slump. He prefers not to.

“Yeah,” he says, turning to face his ex-fiancé. “We should.”

 

“Where’s Lieu-- Adam?” Lance asks, as Keith sets the toaster between Pidge and Hunk. Pidge tackles it like it’s her prey.

Keith shrugs as Pidge eviscerates his toaster with her tools. He’ll probably live, even if the toaster doesn’t.

“He and Shiro are talking about things.”

“Yeah, so,” Hunk segues, collecting the materials Pidge is dropping, “They had like… a thing, right?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Keith deadpans.

“Oh, really?” Hunk falls for it. What a sweet guy. “Sorry, then. Never mind.”

“God, Hunk, he’s teasing you,” Pidge says, whacking the side of the toaster. A few breadcrumbs and a bolt fall out. “Shiro and Adam were dating before Kerberos or something.”

“You weren’t even _here_ when Shiro was teaching, how do you know?” Lance asks.

“I’m psychic,” says Pidge, and picks out the pieces she needs from the corpsified toaster. “Now hand me that dish.”

 

Shiro doesn’t let go of his hand, and Adam doesn’t rush to pull away either. God, he _missed_ Shiro, never wanted Shiro to let him go ever again, and yet…

“Look, I--” Shiro holds his gaze, and a maddeningly familiar tone slips into his voice and tears Adam’s heart out. “I know we ended things--”

“Shut up.”

Shiro blinks at him, and the scathing vindication wells up in Adam’s chest again.

“I really hate it when you act like this,” Adam says, as though Shiro is still _something_ to him. “I’ve always hated it. Acting all calm and professional and _leader-like_.”

Keeping a cool head in the midst of crisis is a good trait. Keeping it in the midst of _every_ crisis makes Adam want to shake Shiro down until his leaderly facade breaks away.

Shiro is the perfect leader, and Adam hates it, because it’s not _true_.

“Adam,” Shiro whispers. His right arm comes up to touch Adam’s face, and Adam turns away, but doesn’t pull free from Shiro’s left. “I’m sorry.”

“I know,” Adam breathes out. He meets Shiro’s eyes. “I’m sorry, too.”

He’s an idiot, really. He should be holding onto Shiro, physically clinging to him lest the universe steal him away again for good. He should be digging his fingers into Shiro’s skin and trying to refresh his memory of Shiro’s existence, like he did outside the cottage.

But here Shiro is, running straight back into danger, to search for a weapon before the aliens that captured him can find it. Because obviously he won’t ask anyone else for help.

No, Adam wouldn’t ask the Garrison of anything now. They lied. They _knew_.

And yet Shiro’s waiting for a bunch of _children_ to help him save the universe or whatever.

Shiro is the perfect leader who inspires people to follow him, and Adam hates it so.

“I can’t… I can’t go back to the way I was, with you,” Adam says at last. “You mean a lot to me. We’ve been friends for years before you…” He closes his eyes. “I think we should… go back to that.”

“Back to being friends,” Shiro finishes.

Adam nods. He doesn’t open his eyes. He doesn’t want to see if Shiro’s hurt or ambivalent or still hiding everything behind his leader persona.

Shiro doesn’t say anything, but his hold around Adam’s hands releases. The air hits Adam’s fingers, and it’s lacking. Adam opens his eyes.

His friend smiles at him, but there’s a pain to that smile. Dark eyes shine.

And suddenly Adam wants to take it all back.

“You should…” His hands shake again. By god, what was he thinking? “You…”

“I understand,” Shiro says, squeezing his eyes shut. “I get it.” He inhales sharply, and moves past Adam for the door.

Shiro’s hand has barely grabbed the knob, when Adam seizes him around his midsection in some sort of embrace. His glasses dig into his cheek and Shiro’s shoulder, but Adam doesn’t care.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I’m so sorry, I just can’t lose you again. Not after all this.”

“I’m--” Shiro huffs out a laugh, not cruelly or mockingly. His arms are pinned to the sides, but Shiro manages to bend his elbow and ghost his fingers over Adam’s hold. “I’m getting a lot of mixed signals here.”

“I don’t know, I don’t know,” Adam mumbles into his ear. “I just want you to care about yourself, for once. For me, even. If I can still ask that of you.”

The side of Shiro’s head touches Adam’s. He sighs.

“I cared enough about my life to survive being abducted by aliens,” he says wryly. “Isn’t that proof enough?”

Adam snorts.

“You’re also trying to stop them from acquiring a superweapon.”

“...I didn’t want you to see me die.”

Adam goes rigid and his arms drop. Shiro turns around and cups Adam’s face.

“If it weren’t for the aliens, I would have made it back. I wouldn’t have much longer, but… I’d have died quicker.”

Adam shakes his head, and raises his hands to grab Shiro’s wrists, not to pull them away, just to touch. He’s still not sure if the lack of an electrostimulator around Shiro’s right forearm is worth it for the alien prosthetic.

“Call me as selfish as you want, Takashi, but I’d have rather seen you die slowly than lose you all of a sudden.”

“You deserve someone better--”

“My god,” Adam’s grip tightens. “I am never going to find someone better than you. You’ve made sure of that.”

“You deserve someone who can spend the rest of _your_ life with you--”

“And _you_ don’t deserve someone to stay with you until the very end?” Adam laughs. He pulls the other man’s hands from his face and pushes him against the door. “Did you think you were sparing me from some great pain if you died sooner than later? I was _prepared_ for your death from your disease, Takashi. I was ready for the pain that would come from _losing one of my best friends and the person I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with_. But, you-- dying on Kerberos, dying _because_ of Kerberos--”

Words fail him, now. God. Speeches were _Takashi’s_ thing. _Everything_ was Takashi’s thing.

The anger spills over into sorrow and Adam finds he still has tears to cry.

“God, Takashi,” he lets go and steps back, hands bumping into his glasses in an effort to catch his tears. “I love you, I still love you, but I couldn’t-- I _can’t_ watch you run straight for danger because you don’t think it matters how much time you have left.”

Takashi freezes, and Adam takes off his glasses to wipe at his eyes. There’s nothing but the sound of Adam hiccoughing and sniffling. Then, hands rest on his shoulders, and Takashi presses their foreheads together.

“Thank you for caring about me,” he says quietly. “Thank you for everything.”

Adam doesn’t– _can’t_ reply. He opens his eyes to Shiro’s slightly blurry face and slides his face into the crook of Shiro’s neck. Arms, one distinctly rougher than the other, wrap around Adam’s shoulders, and Adam’s own curl around Takashi’s waist, one hand still holding on to his glasses.

“I survived the abduction to get back to you and Keith,” Shiro says. “I had to.”

And despite all they’ve been through, Adam still can’t bring himself to believe it. Takashi survived to warn humanity of the aliens. Or to save other innocents. Or…

Adam relaxes into Takashi’s hold.

Or maybe Adam’s wrong.

“I’m sorry I made you choose,” he murmurs. “It wasn’t fair to you. It wasn’t right.”

Takashi presses his palms against Adam’s back, as though to defy physics and pull them into each other.

“I forgive you,” Takashi says. “But I already said that before.”

“Guess you’re not the only one with a shoddy memory.”

Adam can feel Takashi’s smile.

“Perhaps,” he admits.

Adam pulls his head away. He meets Takashi’s eyes.

“I’m going to spend the rest of your life with you,” he says. “Please let me.”

Takashi smiles. Their foreheads touch again.

“Alien superweapon geocaching aside,” he says, noses bumping together. “I promise.”

That’s good enough.

The door thuds.

“One of you needs to get us a light bulb!” Keith yells through the door. The men jump away from it. “Pidge needs a filament from it.”

Adam clears his throat and rushes to put his glasses back on.

“On it, just a sec.”

Keith mutters something about lovestruck idiots and walks away.

 

Hunk finishes his machine in an hour, and Adam’s quite impressed by his and Pidge’s handiwork. Fortunately, Keith’s toaster and one of the spare light bulbs are the only casualty.

Keith estimates the walk to that particular area will take about an hour, to which the cadets except Hunk grimace at. Adam looks to Shiro, who strides on with the plan with no concern about if someone who just crashed back onto Earth and shook off the effects of a sedative could make an hour long trek in the desert.

Adam packs up several jugs of water for the trip anyway.

 

The pain of long treks is not the actual effort of walking, but the boredom of uninteresting surroundings. Not that the Arizonian desert is _boring_ , but to Adam’s urban eyes, the expanse of dirt and rock looks impressive for all of five minutes before everywhere begins to look the same.

Fortunately, the younger ones have no problem entertaining themselves. The group splits up with the cadets at the front, followed by Shiro keeping an eye on them alongside Keith, and Adam bringing up the rear. Pidge and Hunk pass along theories about how an ancient civilisation could know of the Fraunhofer Line, form monuments in the form of it, and predict Shiro’s return to Earth, with Lance occasionally throwing in more simplistic - and unconsidered - possibilities.

“There’s no way it’s all just a huge coincidence,” Pidge says, shaking her head.

“Yeah, but was this ancient civilisation just expecting someone to see their markings, put up a bunch of rocks in the form of a scientific concept humanity’ll rediscover years later, to mark where a thing that concept represents is located?” Lance retorts.

“Well, when you put it that way…” Pidge hums in thought. “It does seem very contrived.”

Hunk throws out another nuanced idea, and Lance breaks away from his ranks.

“Hey, Shiro,” Lance says, “Wait, I can call you ‘Shiro’, right?”

“Considering I’m legally dead and so no longer a Lieutenant,” Shiro says dryly, “Go ahead, Lance.”

“Awesome,” Lance’s eyes light up. “So, can I ask you… what was it like on Kerberos? Your team were the farthest humanity’s ever gone in the Solar System.”

“It was quite the sight,” Shiro says with a faint smile. “It makes you realise how empty space really is. We were two months away from an actual planet, and four months away from Earth.”

“So… I guess it was lonely up there?” Lance prompts.

“Kind of. You got used to it. Commander Holt and Officer Holt were great company, though. We tried to stick together to avoid going crazy from isolation,” Shiro chuckles. “We were a team, after all.”

“I’d… like to go on an expedition like that someday,” Lance says, “With a team of my own and everything.”

“Perhaps you will, someday,” Shiro says, patting Lance’s shoulder. “I can imagine that.”

Lance beams.

Adam taps Keith’s shoulder. The teen slows his pace and falls in line with Adam instead.

“Are you all right?” Adam murmurs. Keith shrugs.

“Why wouldn’t I be? We’re finally wrapping up something that’s been on my mind for ages.”

Adam scoffs, and swipes at Keith’s hair. The teen hisses and recoils, brushing it down again.

“Shiro’s just being his dumb leader-like self right now,” Adam says. “He’ll go back to normal soon.”

“That’s not the problem.”

“So there _is_ a problem?”

Ahead of them, Shiro and Lance have moved on to discussing craft updates Shiro’s missed in his year away from Earth. Keith’s jaw clenches, and Adam’s lowers his voice.

“You wouldn’t have beat up Flaherty if you knew Shiro was alive.”

Keith looks away.

“It’s fine,” he bites out, “I would have dropped out anyway.”

“That’s not the point.”

“God, can we _not_ discuss this?” Keith mutters. He crosses his arms, shoulders curling inward. “Shouldn’t you be the one talking to Shiro right now? You were all over him when you first showed up.”

“The cadets need someone to focus on,” Adam says evasively. “I have all the time in the world to catch up with Shiro. As do you.”

Provided the Garrison doesn’t catch them first.

“So,” Keith meets his eyes, something in his expression, “Are you gonna get back together with him?”

Adam schools his expression into a bemused smile. Ah. He looks down and shakes his head.

“It’s not that simple, Keith.”

The expression is replaced by another scowl. “I’m an adult. Tell me, then.”

Adam’s saved by Hunk’s yelling.

“Guys, I think we found it!”

Hunk and Pidge have halted overlooking a cave entrance. As Lance looks over the metre wailing in Hunk’s hands, its needle zipping back and forth across the marked extremes, Keith breaks apart from Adam and peers down at the cavern.

“Yeah, I’ve been here before.” he says, “There are a lot of markings on the inside walls, but it’s just a dead end.”

“Are you sure no one’s ever documented those before?” Pidge asks. “This isn’t exactly a secluded area.”

“It _is_ the middle of nowhere, though,” Lance points out.

Keith scowls. “I don’t know, I didn’t find anything talking about it when I spent _several weeks_ compiling my research.”

“All right, everyone,” Shiro intervenes, “Clearly there’s something we’re missing here. Perhaps the dead end is artificial.”

“Well, the source of the energy is definitely coming from that cave,” Hunk says. “The dead end could be covering up something.”

Keith jumps off the ledge without another word. Shiro holds Pidge and Hunk back by their shoulders.

“Watch your steps,” he says. “Pidge, put the radar in Hunk’s bag so you don’t trip.”

Adam suppresses a smile. God, even after a year MIA, Shiro hasn’t changed at all.

 

There’s only three torches between them, two of them Keith’s and one of them Pidge’s, but it’s enough light to reveal the markings Keith mentioned. They stretch from the corners of the cave walls up to the curved ceiling, depicting a quadruped creature amongst humans and avians and strange oval-shaped objects. Even in the style of ancient carvings, what appears to be the blue lion is just rectangular enough to seem out of place amongst the rounded and flowing birds.

“These are incredible,” Hunk breathes, kneeling down to a depiction of human figures pointing up to the lion. “There’s no way we’re the first ones to find them.”

Adam expects to hear Lance reiterating that they’re in the middle of nowhere, but the cadet is captivated by the markings.

“Do you think we could take samples and try to date them?” asks Pidge.

“That’s the dead end, right?” Shiro casts the light down to a rounded wall.

“It does look pretty dead,” says Hunk.

A shiver goes down Adam’s spine, then Lance yelps.

Light spills out from the markings, illuminating the walls in an unnatural blue. The cave trembles.

“We should get out of--”

A blue ring encircles the group’s feet, and the ground collapses.

 

Shiro is still just as heavy as he was before he left Earth, and Adam wheezes from under the muscle.

“Sorry,” Shiro says, getting off of Adam’s stomach. “Are you all right?”

They landed in a shallow pool of water. Adam grimaces at the wet clothes and readjusts his glasses. The lenses are as blurry as his usual eyesight, but they haven’t cracked. He can’t see the expression on Shiro’s face, but the other man is touching his shoulder.

“I’m fine.” Adam sits up and raises his voice. “Is everyone okay?”

The cadets groan and pull themselves from the water with varying responses of agreement. Adam shakes the water off his glasses, and puts them back on. They’re still fuzzy, but he can see Shiro offering his hand. Adam takes it on instinct.

They stand.

A giant blue mechanical lion, constructed of solid, brightly coloured parts sits upon a raised platform like a massive trophy. Adam likens the style to a _very_ retro toy, but the mech dwarfs any life-sized recreation of _panthera leo_ from the Garrison archives. A hexagonal hemisphere emitting a familiar and alien blue light encapsulates it.

“Is this it?” asks Pidge, wiping her own glasses and putting them back on. “Is this the Voltron?”

“I think so,” Shiro says, and lets go of Adam’s hand.

“This must be the source of all that energy,” Keith says, climbing onto the dais. “It looks like there’s a forcefield around it.”

“Careful,” Adam warns, eyeing the alien light, “It means whoever put it here doesn’t want someone messing with it. That forcefield might have offensive countermeasures.”

Keith takes off into a sprint to the base of the protective barrier, and the group follows behind. The chamber they’ve fallen into is _massive_ , and Adam wonders about the underground structure of the area.

Lance begins to zigzag along the path.

“Does anyone else get the feeling this thing is staring at them?”

“No,” Shiro deadpans.

“Yeah, this thing is totally staring at me…”

“It doesn’t look like this barrier is electrified or anything,” Keith calls, reaching the barrier first. He presses a hand against it, and though he doesn’t jump back in pain, Adam still cringes. “I wonder how you’re supposed to get in…”

“Maybe you just gotta knock,” Lance says, reaching him, and actually knocks on the forcefield.

Adam can’t help but smile at the cadet’s earnestness, until the forcefield reacts and disappears in a shimmer of blue. The runes on the platform light up, and the weapon’s eyes flash. The ground trembles again.

A rush of _something_ fills the room and pushes Adam back. He throws his hands up and braces himself against it.

After a moment, the energy subsides, and Adam hears the rest of the group gasp. He lowers his arms. The strange force is gone from the air.

“Did… Did everyone just see that?” Lance asks, turning to the group.

“Voltron is a robot!” Hunk exclaims, drowning out and amplifying Adam’s confusion. “Voltron is huge, _huge_ awesome robot!”

“And this thing is only one part of it!” Pidge adds, eyes practically shining. “I wonder where the rest of them are?”

“This is what they're looking for,” Shiro says.

“It’s incredible,” Keith breathes.

Something cold settles over Adam’s shoulders.

“What are all of you talking about?” he asks.

Any explanation is cut off by the lion’s head dipping to their level. Pidge and Hunk scream, and Adam flinches at its size. The lion’s jaw opens, and the lower mouth extends into a ramp for them to embark.

Lance grins and takes off for the maw.

“Hang on!” Adam yells. Maybe it’s his Lieutenant Voice, but Lance stops and turns. The rest of the group’s eyes land on him. Adam’s brows pinch together. “I’m lost. What just happened?”

“You didn’t see it?” Lance asks, stunned. “That vision?”

Adam shakes his head. He turns to Shiro, who blinks at him.

“There are... five of these lions,” Shiro explains, his face twisting in concentration, “and when the five come together, they form Voltron, a humanoid robot.”

“Why didn’t I see that?” Adam asks, staring up at the beckoning head.

Lance startles, and turns back to the inside of the lion.

“I… I think it wants us to go in.” He looks at Adam. “Should we?”

“If this is one part of the weapon those aliens are looking for,” Adam frowns, “I suppose it’s best we learn as much as we can while we’re here.”

Lance beams, and dashes in. The rest of the cadets follow suit. Shiro touches Adam’s shoulder.

“You all right?” he asks quietly.

“Yeah.” Adam replies. “Let’s go.”

Shiro squeezes his shoulder, and they head in.


	3. The Rise of Voltron (Part Two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The squad have an unexpected alien encounter, land on a mysterious planet, and are assigned a Lion each-- except for one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops it took me a month. here, have six-point-five-k of nonsense. adam is not amused.
> 
> also yeah, Mukaen is the universal language of Earth. I just made noises with my mouth, as you usually do with spoken language. They have translators that I imagine are a bit like those cool bluetooth things that squiggle up to your ear or whatever. it's not super important again until we hit S7 or whatever.
> 
> Thanks to Sangrylah again for betaing, and also [BastetTheWritingCat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BastetTheWritingCat/pseuds/BastetTheWritingCat) for proofreading!

In all honesty, Adam should have known something would go wrong when he let a cadet take the helm.

“YOU ARE– THE WORST– PILOT– EVER!”

Lance lets out a whoop in response, and the cockpit dips from the inertial negation. Keith's nails are digging into Adam's upper arm, and Adam has his own seized around Shiro's shoulder.

“Where are you going?!” Shiro asks over Hunk and Pidge's yelling. The two are braced against the sides of their classmate’s seat.

“I'm not controlling it,” Lance yells back, almost sounding proud of the fact. “It's like it's on autopilot!”

Adam nearly elbows Keith to catch Hunk's arm before the cadet can faceplant into the back wall. Maybe if this weird ship thing gets them shot out of the sky by the military, he won’t have to explain his absence to Iverson. He scowls.

“What's the magic lion telling you, Lance?!”

“It's not words,” Lance corrects his teacher, “but it's– Oh _shit_!”

The lion lurches, and springs off the ground. Shiro seizes Adam's waist and keeps him from breaking his glasses on the back of Lance's seat. Adam postpones thanking him to snap:

“What is it _not_ saying in words to you, cadet?!”

Lance's voice goes up a pitch.

“It's telling me there's an alien ship approaching Earth!”

“Please tell me the lion is running away from it!” Hunk manages, sinking to the floor and hugging the base of the pilot seat.

“Actually, err... I think we're supposed to stop it.”

“Takashi, is there any chance of negotiating with these aliens?” Adam asks. There's a tightness in his chest, and he can't tell if it's from the circumstances, how close Keith is to cutting off circulation to his left arm, or the pressure from ascending far past the stratosphere.

Shiro shakes his head. “Not an option.”

“Not even if we just give this lion to them?!” Hunk demands. “No offence, lion!”

“These aliens don't back down, Hunk,” Shiro replies, something hard in his eyes, “they'll destroy Earth whether or not they get the Lion.”

“What do we do then?!” asks Pidge.

Lance emits a high shriek, and the group look out the windshield. They're far from the Earth's stratosphere, and all there is to see is the abyss of space dotted with distant stars and less-distant planets. An area of space goes hazy, as though blinded by a heatwave, and a massive alien ship materialises into view.

Over the alarmed cries of the cadets, Adam wouldn’t have heard Shiro speaking, but the man’s arm shudders violently under Adam’s hold, and he sees a dawning horror set into his friend’s features.

Shiro whispers with a fear Adam hasn’t witnessed in years: “They’ve found me.”

Adam grits his teeth.

“Lance, get us away from Earth, now!”

The edges of the alien ship glow, and purple lights up the darkness. The lion bounds off, evading the beams, and lets loose a pitched noise before flying straight at the enemy. The group gets an up-close view of the lion firing a beam of light at the side of the ship. Lance yanks the gearstick, and the lion sinks its claws into surface and tears the covering apart. The hull explodes, and the lion flees.

“Do you think they're gonna follow us or go after Earth?” asks Pidge.

“They can attack Earth anytime,” Shiro wheezes, brows pinched. “They're gonna follow the lion.”

“Lance,” Adam commands, squeezing Shiro’s shoulder in what comfort he can offer. “We have to put more space between us.”

“On it!”

Adam’s ears ring from the acceleration, and faraway stars meld into streaks of light. The velocity stabilises, and Keith finally lets his arm go. Adam barely feels the tingle of nerves. His entire body is shaking. Shiro is shaking.

“They're still following us!” Lance exclaims at the rearview display. “What do we do?”

“We can't stop,” Shiro says, voice tight but coherent, “The Galra will be sending other fleets to find us.”

“The what?”

“The Galra. That's the name of the aliens chasing us.” Shiro's jaw clenches. “We have to–”

The lion lurches to a hard stop, and Adam throws his tingling arm in front of Keith before the teen can fly through the displays. The stars return to being points in the abyss, and then shimmer. Instead of a heat-wave like haze that heralded the appearance of the Galra ship, the emptiness opens up to a swirling purple vortex, and golden runes etch themselves onto space.

“Is that a wormhole?!” Hunk yelps.

“Okay, I know it sounds insane, but I think the lion wants us to go through that thing,” Lance conveys.

“Is it telling you where it'll take us?” asks Pidge.

“I don't know! It just– It–” The cadet is lost. “Shiro, Adam, you're the senior officers here, what do we do?”

Adam bites down on the inside of his cheek. Chain of command. Yeah, he never expected to have to deal with _aliens_. He’s not an astronaut, just a pilot, happy to touch the skies at most, not the stars.

“The lion knows more than we do,” Shiro says, and it’s as though he was never freaked out at all. His voice is calm and authoritative, and the sudden shift sends a chill down Adam’s spine. “I say we trust it. However,” his voice softens, “we're a team now, all of us. We should decide together.”

Adam hears himself agreeing before it the thought even passes his mind.

“We can't go back to Earth. If what Shiro says is true, then these Galra will be looking for us even if we keep running blind. If the lion trusts this wormhole, then it’s a better plan than what we have so far.”

He meets each of the cadets eyes.

So, he doesn't finish, it's up to the rest of you.

The three cadets look to each other. Pidge rests a hand on Lance's shoulder, and Hunk, even scared out of his mind, jerks his head in a nod. Lance and Hunk turn to Keith, who purses his lips, but dips his head in agreement.

“All right then,” Lance says, seizing the controls again. “Looks like we're ditching class tomorrow!”

The lion roars, and darts off for the centre of the portal.

The Garrison has never succeeded in making wormholes, though not for the lack of effort. Many theorised what the experience would feel like, but to Adam, it feels just like hitting turbulence in a fighter jet. They pass through the swirl of light with tangible resistance that makes Adam’s limbs jitter and the rest of the cockpit yell in alarm. Then, the lion lurches forwards, free of the pressure, and everyone opens their eyes.

Adam readjusts his glasses, and peers at the displays. The one displaying the lion’s rear shows no signs of the Galra ship. The space in front of them is familiar, an expanse of nothingness dotted with stars, and yet...

“I don't recognise any of these constellations,” Shiro says. “We're in completely unknown territory.”

“This is amazing,” Pidge says, and something familiar lights up in her eyes. “Humans haven't even documented this part of the universe!”

The lion jerks around, and a planet swings into view. It's blue and green and definitely not Earth.

“I think... I think that's the lion's home,” Lance says, and it’s the only warning the group gets before the lion kicks off for the surface.

Adam wonders if this magical space lion thing has oxygen masks, or if whoever created it was similar enough in human physiology to have the immense pressure of entry friction covered. Judging by the rattling of his bones, and the popping of his ears, he’s not too convinced.

At last, the lion breaks through the clouds, and Adam can focus enough to see the expanse of green land and teal bodies of water. The lion falls into a smoother descent, and Hunk peeks up from his hold around the bottom of Lance’s seat to say:

“Is it just me, or is anyone else having second thoughts about jumping through an alien wormhole? Why are we listening to a telepathic space lion anyway?!”

Oh thank god, Adam thinks, at least one of the cadets has some sense of self-preservation.

“It got us away from that alien warship!” Lance defends.

“You know _this_ is also an alien warship?” Keith scowls.

“All right, knock it off,” Shiro says sharply. “This isn’t ideal, but there’s nothing we can individually do to get us out of this situation, and arguing about it isn’t going to help anyone.”

The cadets fall silent, and Adam is hit with a rush of ‘fuck we just dragged _children_ into uncharted space’. He swallows, and his ears adjust.

“Lance, where is the lion headed?”

“I… don’t really know, it’s stopped talking me.”

“Hang on,” Hunk says, pulling himself up from the ground. He points at the display. “Is that a castle?”

It is, in fact, a castle. A very bizarre, white and green castle with four outer spires surrounding a giant one in the centre. Despite the gleam of the material, it looks like it’s been abandoned for a while. The earth and greenery have consumed parts of the base.

The lion rumbles and descends onto the pathway, and the castle’s crystals light up in response. It lands by a grand entrance. The path is empty, save for some overgrown shrubbery that were possibly once decorative, and the crumbling alien architecture.

Adam suddenly feels very small and insignificant.

“Be on your guard,” Shiro says, as the group let go of each other and straighten.

“Is something wrong?” asks Pidge.

Shiro’s jaw tightens. He glances at Adam for a split second, then says, “We’re in unfamiliar territory. Anything could happen.”

The cadets take his advice seriously, and disembark.

 

The moment they step out of the lion’s jaw, it rears its head back and lets loose a roar that drowns out Hunk’s panicking. It must be some sort of signal, for the castle’s main gate illuminates in green and screeches open to reveal a massively sparse hall.

“Oops, it was just opening the door for us,” Hunk says meekly, breaking the awed silence. He looks up at the lion. “Sorry for yelling. Thank you, space lion!”

The lion doesn’t answer. The group file in.

The interior of the hall is incredibly dark, and it takes them the entire trek in until their eyes adjust and Adam can make out the repeating patterns on the walls. They reach a staircase, where Lance yells out a cautious greeting.

No one replies.

Pidge squints at the staircase.

“From the size of the lion, I expected these steps to be bigger,” she says.

“I don’t think this castle is for the lion itself,” Adam says. “It must be for whoever would normally pilot it. These aliens must be around the size of a human, then.”

“The Galra vary,” Shiro says offhandedly. “I–” He grimaces, and Adam can make out Shiro touching the side of his head. “I think…”

The ceiling whistles, and a now-familiar green spreads out into runes. Several hard lights pop on, and cast a glittering beam down on the group. A high-pitched voice says something in a mishmash of syllables, and Shiro frowns.

“What?” asks Pidge. “Wait– Of course, our translators can’t pick up on an alien language!”

A column of green light encases each of them. Lance and Hunk yelp in surprise.

“Why are we here?” Shiro demands the castle, his voice controlled and calm. “What do you want with us?”

No one answers, but the columns fade. The pockets on the wall flicker into lit torches, and the hallway at the top of the staircase lights up, as though to beckon them further in.

“Wait, hold on,” says Pidge. The group turns to her. She pulls at her sweater collar and unplugs her translator. “ _Ho bisogno di modificare_ –”

“Wrong language, cadet,” Adam says, bemused. “What are you doing?”

“I…” Pidge says slowly, speaking not with the hesitation of someone trying to switch languages, but with the inexperience of a new speaker. “I am trying to see when– if! If I can change their– _cazzo_ , I mean our– _Ecco…_ ”

Lance’s eyes light up in realisation. “You’re not fluent in Mukaen? How did you get into the Academy like that?”

“ _Sta’ zitto_ , Lance!” Pidge scowls. Her voice is notably higher without the translator, but the other cadets don’t seem to notice. “ _Vattene_!”

“Here,” Adam says, detaching his own from his neck and offering it to the cadet. He eases into the common tongue. “Experiment on mine.”

Pidge plugs herself back in, and begins to fiddle with it.

“I was saying,” she says, her voice translating back to Mukaen, “I was trying to see if I could adapt our translators to this alien language. Either way, I’m gonna need a language matrix, but first I need to open this thing up to porting non-Terran languages.”

Shiro gives a furtive glance at the lights on the ceiling, then catches Lance’s look.

“I thought I understood what the voice said,” he says, “But, it didn’t sound quite right.”

“So these aliens have their own universal language?” Hunk prompts.

“Of a sort,” Shiro says. “It’s more like how we used to use English. The Galra conquered most of the universe, I…” Shiro grimaces again. “I think. My memories are still very–”He shakes his head.

“Let’s go. The castle clearly wants up to go up the stairs.”

 

Conversation falls quiet, only interrupted by Hunk and Lance calling out to the empty castle. Despite everything, the entire sequence of events still feel like a hazy dream.

At last, they reach an open room, circular with giant, sleek pillars reaching for the ceiling. The ground dips into a gear pattern, with the edges covered by smaller rounded panels on the floor. In the centre is a control panel. Green, it seems, was the alien architect’s colour of choice.

“What is this place?” asks Keith, and his voice rebounds in the chamber. “Some kind of control room?”

The cadets are curious, which is good, because the sight of this alien architecture and technology is driving Adam deeper into the crisis of ‘shit we’re stuck in far away in the universe with a bunch of _kids_ ’.

They make their way to the singular display. Pidge prods at it first, trying to turn it on. The panel doesn’t react. She pokes at the un-embossed surface some more. Shiro joins her, and – out of some kind of instinct – passes his hand over the panel. Green etches itself onto the screen, and something clicks behind them. The group turns.

One of the floor panels has opened up.

Steam billows from the opening and a translucent case rises into view. Inside, they can make out a vaguely humanoid silhouette. Another panel opens, and another identical  case rises with a different, but still human-like figure. The panels click closed again, and there’s no further movement or sound except for the cautious breathing of the humans.

“Are they… dead?” Hunk breaks the silence.

As if to prove him wrong, the base of the first case glows, and the translucent covering vanishes into a glitter of light.

Deep dark skin contrasts starkly with impossible long white hair. She looks _human_ , were it not for her inhuman ears and the vaguely unrecognisable facial structure with pink markings.

Bright eyes snap open and the alien gasps. She reaches out with her hand, and shouts something. She pitches forwards, and Lance – the closest – catches her.

She pulls her head from his chest, and stares at him drowsily. Lance grins at her instinctively and drawls a Makuen greeting.

The alien blinks, then pulls away and slams her palm into Lance’s chest. He’s knocked off his feet by inhuman force, and hits the ground with a thud. The alien girl is shouting something, eyes darting at all of them. Despite her dress, she looks to be a capable fighter.

“Please, we don’t mean any harm,” Shiro says, as Adam rushes over to Lance’s side. “We don’t know why we’re here.” Lance sits up, clutching at his chest and wheezing for breath. Adam checks over the injury.

The alien freezes at Shiro’s speech, and gives the humans another once-over. Confusion flits over her face. She says something else, and heads for the control panel. The humans step aside, but Pidge stays and watches as the alien uses hand gestures to activate the displays, just like Shiro.

“Are you all right?” Adam asks. Lance coughs a few times. “I think you’re just gonna end up with a bruise. It doesn’t look like she cracked your rib cage.”

“Oh that’s great,” Lance says, coughing again, “I always wanted to be punched by an alien.”

“Technically, she didn’t even punch you,” Adam helps the cadet up. “Pidge, any luck on that translation adapter?”

“Yeah, definitely,” Pidge says, eyeing the alien’s controls, “I can definitely port… whatever this is.”

The other case glows, and the covering disappears to reveal an older-looking alien. He seems human, too, with bright orange hair and pale skin, a blue suit, and similar facial markings as the alien woman. He yelps something incomprehensible and lunges for Keith, who sidesteps him easily. The alien man catches sight of the alien girl, and calls out to her. She says something in reply.

Shiro closes his eyes.

“Okay… What do we do now?” asks Keith, eyeing the two.

The aliens exchange words, and the man approaches the girl. She says something, then startles at the screen. Her voice gets louder, and reaches a wail. The man rests a hand on her shoulder. The girl’s hand presses against her mouth.

The humans watch, stunned, as the alien girl begins to cry. The man pulls her closer and the girl sobs into his shoulder.

Shiro dips his head momentarily, then speaks.

The aliens jump, staring at him. Shiro squares his shoulders at the girl’s tears, and continues. His voice is his own, but the words don’t sound like human words at all. They’re a glide of syllables and harsh consonants, and Adam doesn’t recognise any of them.

The alien girl pulls away from the man and wipes furtively at her eyes. She replies, voice cold. Shiro tenses, and answers in return. Adam catches a word between them.

Galra.

Shiro gestures to Pidge. His words stumble over each other in inexperience, but the alien girl’s eyes fall to the human peering over her control panel. She says something to Shiro, and Shiro nods and replies an assent.

“Pidge, give her Adam’s translator,” Shiro says, returning to the Terran common tongue. “She can port the data, and the castle will translate for us.”

“Were you speaking their language?” Lance asks.

“No,” Shiro says, as Pidge hands the device over. “They’re speaking a language that’s been dead for– for ages. I’m speaking a descendant of a language the castle can translate. It’s not perfect, humans don’t have the vocal chords for it, but I think I’m getting the point across.”

“You… Where’d you learn it?” Keith prompts. Shiro’s lips purse.

“I think while I was captured.”

The alien girl takes the device and holds a hand over it. Pidge edges closer, and everyone can see the alien’s eyes lighting up with an unnatural glow. The control panel pops up a new display, and the glow fades. The girl sets the translator down, and touches at the new screen. She says something.

The man replies, appearing confused, but keeps talking with no apparent purpose. Then, mid-word, a screech comes out of his mouth, and everyone claps their hands over their ears. The girl grumbles something, and the man shakes his head. He starts again, voice normal, and then suddenly falls mute, though his mouth moves.

The humans look at each other. Hunk opens his mouth to say something, when–

“Not entirely sure if such a novel language will–”

“It worked,” Shiro says in a strange accent. He clears his throat. “The translation is working.”

The girl turns from the control panel, and temporarily betrays relief. She folds her hands together, and steels herself into formality.

“I suppose I ought to introduce myself, then,” she says. Adam blinks. A Received Pronunciation English accent? “I am–”

Lance yelps, and unclips his translator from the side of his waist, just as Hunk tugs his out of his sweater and tosses it to the ground like it’s burned him. Pidge and Keith follow suit, rubbing at their ears.

“Ah, my apologies,” the girl says, abashed. Her ears tint darker in embarrassment. “I wasn’t aware your translators would cause feedback from the castle’s own circuits.”

“We’re good,” Hunk says meekly, pocketing his dropped device. His voice drops. “We’re totally good. I’m speaking an alien language. That’s good.”

“Your friend here has explained to me that you were brought here by the Blue Lion,” the girl continues. “I am Princess Allura of the planet Altea, and this is my advisor, Coran.” The orange-haired alien gives a quick bow. “I wish we’d met under better circumstances. It’s always an honour and a pleasure to meet new lifeforms.”

“Likewise, Princess Allura,” Shiro says, dipping his head in assent. Adam presses the heel of his palm into his forehead. “I am Shiro, and these are Keith, Lance, Hunk, Pidge, and Adam.” He turns to his group and explains.

“Princess Allura and her advisor Coran are a part of a race known as Alteans. They were the first casualties of the Galra, at the start of the war–” Shiro grimaces. “I suppose, in Earth years… Ten thousand years ago.”

Allura’s face hardens. “The Galran Emperor, Zarkon, attacked our planet in order to seize the Five Lions of Voltron. My father refused. For that, Zarkon destroyed my planet, my people, and my entire system. Coran and I… My father hid us and put us into cryosleep. And now, we are the only Alteans left.”

“I am so sorry, Princess Allura,” Adam says, stepping forwards. Jesus _Christ_. The genocide and extinction of certain human cultures was already something most couldn’t fathom. The obliteration of an entire planet, however…

“Zarkon?” Shiro murmurs, then looks to Allura. “The lifespan of a Galra, how long is it?”

“Are you implying…” Allura turns to him, eyes wide.

“I was his prisoner.” Shiro’s brows furrow. “I think… I think I met him, once.”

“That’s not possible,” Allura says, eyes narrowing. “A Galran lifespan lasts at most two thousand decaphoebs!”

“Deca-what?” Pidge echoes. Hunk tugs at her arm and pulls her away from the control panel. Clearly, their crash course in deep space war politics is not the first priority.

“I don’t know how, but he’s alive, Princess.” Shiro says, voice grave. “He’s still searching for Voltron. A ship of his chased the Blue Lion before we passed through a wormhole.”

“The Lion must have alerted the Castle,” Coran says, “A security protocol to return the Lion – and only the Lion – here.”

Allura eyes the rest of the humans. “We must find the rest of the Lions before Zarkon does.”

“Princess, before we do that, how about I find us and our guests something to eat? It’s been ten thousand decaphoebs.” Coran prompts.

“I’ll stay here,” she says, returning her focus to the control panel. “I need to see what else has changed since we’ve been asleep.”

“Princess…” Coran moves to Allura’s side and murmurs something to her.

“In the meantime,” Adam says, drawing the attention of the other humans, “Shiro, could you explain the state of the rest of the universe to the cadets and I?”

Shiro touches the back of his head. “I think I can. My memories aren’t quite all there, but they’re returning.”

Coran steps away from Allura and claps his hands together.

“I’ll grab all of you some sustenance, then!” he says. “It’s always good to learn about the changing galaxy on a full stomach!”

“Oh, alien food,” Hunk’s eyes light up, “This’ll be great!”

 

“This… is not great,” Hunk says, one galactical recap and thirty minutes later. He peers at the green goo on the levitating plate.

“Consider what fruit jam and ice cream probably look to them,” Adam says, tilting his head at Allura, who’s still fixated on the screens. Shiro, having wrapped up what he could remember, is standing by her, watching her work. “It probably doesn’t taste as bad as it looks.”

Hunk takes the first bite with an bizarrely shaped alien spoon. He doesn’t immediately keel over, which Adam takes as a good sign.

“It’s… okay?” Hunk chews a bit more. “It tastes… kinda… flavorless, though.”

“I doubt Alteans have the same physiology as us,” Pidge says, prodding at her portion. “They probably have different taste buds and everything.”

“You sure? ‘Cause they look _super_ human-ish,” Lance says, eyeing Allura. “Minus the ears and the things under their eyes.”

Keith rolls his eyes. “Maybe the universe is just really uncreative with lifeforms, who knows?”

“Is anyone else just a _little_ freaked out by the fact that Allura and Coran are like, probably older than our entire civilisation?” asks Lance.

“Don’t think too hard about it,” Adam says. He tastes a bit of the goo. It’s not _terrible_ , but Hunk is right. It’s watery and bland. “The human mind has limitations on extreme concepts. Also, modern human civilisation began about 50 thousand years ago, so they’re not that old.”

“But the Altean civilisation was like, _how_ many years old before the Galra attacked?”

“We’re the babies of the universe, we get it, Lance.” Keith mutters.

“Oh my god we’re so young, _I’m_ so young! I’m a mouse to them! Smaller than a mouse! I’m an ant! Or a flea! Or–”

Keith grabs a spoonful of goo and sticks it into Lance’s mouth, then pats his head.

“Just eat and stop yammering,” he says, scowling.

Lance tugs the empty spoon out and Adam snaps his fingers before a fight can start.

“Lance, you’re freaking everyone out. Like I said, humans have a perception limit, don’t give yourself a crisis about it. Keith, don’t do that again, it’s rude.”

Lance and Keith huff and turn away from each other. Adam sighs.

Well, at least some things don’t change when you’re out in the middle of uncharted space.

Coran arrives with more plates of food goo, and sets them over the levitation field. He takes one and turns to the princess.

“Princess, you really must eat,” he says, approaching her. Shiro steps aside for him. “Your body may not feel hungry from the sleep chamber, but you need to.”

“I’ll eat later,” she says, barely audible. Her eyes are still fixed on the screens. “The Galra have taken over almost all of the planets that had interplanetary contact. The rest are either destroyed or abandoned.”

“Princess…”

Adam yells in surprise, and Shiro’s head snaps over to the humans. Adam’s stepping away from the levitating dishes, as are the cadets. On the ground, small, vibrantly coloured, and trying to reach the food goo, are a bunch of…

“Oh!” Allura jumps away from her controls and scurries to the creatures. She leans down and cups her hands. The space mice squeal at her and jump onto her palms. They run up her arms, and perch onto her shoulders, rubbing at her chin like cats.

For the first time since they’ve seen her, Allura smiles and turns to Coran.

“It looks as though we aren’t the last Alteans after all, Coran,” she says, her voice light.

Coran beams back as Allura coos over the mice. She offers them some food goo, and the mice happily lock it off of her fingers.

The moment is ruined by an alarm beeping at the control panel. Coran reaches it first.

“A Galra battleship has set its tracker to us!” He exclaims, splitting the alert to another window and pulling up a map none of the humans can read.

“How did they find us?” Allura asks, rushing to the displays. The mice duck into her hair in fear. “We haven’t sent any signals!”

“How much time do we have before they get here?” Shiro asks, eyes narrowing.

Coran peers at the screen and does some audible math. “A few quintants?”

(“What’s a quintant, again?” Lance mumbles.

“That’s like, a day or something,” Hunk replies.)

“Good,” Allura says, eyes lighting up with something else. “Let them come.” She turns to the humans. “By the time they get here, five of you will have reformed Voltron, and together we will take down Zarkon and the Galra Empire.”

The cadets blurt out varying levels of confusion – “Say what, now?” asks Lance – and Adam blinks several times. Shiro’s shoulders stiffen, and he frowns, but not in disapproval.

“Princess,” Shiro says, “there are five of those Lions, where are the other four?”

Allura and Coran share a glance. Allura opens her mouth to reply.

“I’m sorry,” Adam interrupts. All eyes fall on him. Allura tilts her head in confusion. “I understand there is no negotiating with the Galra, and that letting even one of the lions into their hands would be devastating, _and_ that we don’t have the time to be picky about who is sent into battle, however…

“You are really choosing a traumatised prisoner of war with amnesia and a prosthetic arm, a lone ranger who doesn’t do teamwork, a talented and impulsive former cargo pilot, the engineering prodigy who would have done better in the developmental research department, and the kid who listens to deep space emissions for fun to go into battle against a millennia-old warlord.”

Allura straightens, and her eyes narrow just slightly. He’s challenging alien royalty, but they’re already in the middle of deep space, across the universe, capable of dying the moment that Galra ship touches down. There is not much left for Adam to lose. And that is why he _can’t_ let Shiro and the cadets do this.

Except…

“We have no choice,” Shiro says, and Adam wants to cry from how predictable his ex is. “The lions are the only way to defeat Zarkon–”

Then why, _why_ , are they choosing you?! Why you, and why these children? Why you, and not anyone else who’s actually trained and capable of battle?!

The words die in Adam’s throat. Lance speaks up.

“Look, the–” He breathes in sharply, and looks at the others. “The Blue Lion knew. It did, right? It picked us. All of us. It wouldn’t have chosen us if it didn’t think we could do this. Right?”

“Yeah, not all of us are pilots here,” Pidge admits, “but we can’t just give up because it’s dangerous. It’s a non-zero chance of failure, and I think we should give it a try.”

“Adam,” Keith meets his eyes. There’s a determination there Adam rarely sees. “I get it, but it’s not a choice. We have to do this.”

Adam closes his eyes.

“Just letting you guys know, I am definitely still terrified, but,” Hunk sucks in a breath, “It’s a chance.”

“I am very sorry, Adam,” Allura says, and she is genuinely regretful. That sincerity makes it worse. “I know it will be dangerous for everyone, and I know it is not my right to demand anything of any one of you, but this is the only chance the universe has.”

“I understand,” Adam forces out, and his eyes are still closed. “The Blue Lion knew I wasn’t going to be a part of Voltron, that’s why only those five saw the vision back on our planet.” He purses his lips, and his shoulders slump, just a bit.

Fate is a bitch.

“Very well, Princess.” Adam says, opening his eyes. “How do we find the other four lions?”

 

The Alteans lead them to the bridge of the castle, where Allura steps onto a platform in the centre of the darkened room. She holds her hands out, eyes closed, and an ethereal glow radiates from her.

“King Alfor connected the Lions to Allura’s quintessence,” Coran explains. “She is the only one who knows where they are.”

“Hang on a sec,” Hunk interrupts, “What’s ‘quintessence’?”

“What’s–” Coran echoes, caught off guard. “Ah, right, you’re a primitive little species. Quintessence is an energy all living beings emit.”

“So, like a life force,” Pidge says.

“If that’s how you understand it, then yes.”

Allura’s eyes snap open, and a galaxy projects around them.

“These are… coordinates?” Pidge blinks in the glow. An image of a region passes by her. “The Black Lion looks like it’s in the same area as the Blue Lion.”

“That’s right,” Allura says, “That is because the Black Lion is right here in the castle.”

“To keep the Black Lion out of Zarkon’s hands, King Alfor locked it in the castle,” Coran explains. “It can only be freed if the other four are present.”

“The Lions choose their pilots,” Allura says to the humans. “I’m sure you’ve already noticed that. The Blue Lion chose one of you, didn’t it?”

“Why yes, it did,” Lance grins. Allura’s composure twitches. Lance backtracks. “Sorry. Yeah. It chose me.” The princess sighs and continues.

“That bond cannot be forced. Just as a Lion chooses its pilot, the pilot must also accept the Lion. Their quintessence is mirrored within one another, and together, they form something no science can explain.”

Allura waves her hand, and a projection of the Black Lion soars towards them.

“The Black Lion is the decisive head of Voltron. It will take a pilot who is a born leader, and in control at all times. Someone whose men will follow without hesitation.” Allura meets Shiro’s eyes. “That is why you, Shiro, will pilot the Black Lion.”

In the darkness of the room, with naught but the glow of Allura’s projected coordinates, Adam is grateful no one can see his reaction. He closes his eyes, as Allura assigns the rest of the lions to the cadets, and clenches his fists.

As Allura explains the absence of the Red Lion’s coordinates, Adam feels a hand on his shoulder. He opens his eyes.

Shiro doesn’t speak, but his hand falls to grasp Adam’s. Adam can’t bring himself to smile back in reassurance. He pulls away, and ignores Shiro’s hurt look.

“Once all the lions are assembled, you will form Voltron, the greatest warrior ever known, and the defender of the universe.”

The projection of Voltron disperses, and the room lights up again.

“We don’t have much time to find the lions,” Shiro says, sliding right back into leader mode. Adam bites his tongue. God damn it.

Shiro continues, pairing himself off with Pidge to find the Green Lion, Hunk and Lance to find Yellow, and Keith and Adam to find Red once it’s located. Adam’s brows furrow, and he meets Keith’s eyes. Keith shrugs lightly.

With their plan set, Allura prepares to open the wormholes, while Hunk and Lance retrieve Blue from the entrance. Coran heads off with Shiro and Pidge to the hangar to dust off some space pods, however…

“I’ll catch up to you in a moment,” Shiro says, halting by the door to the bridge. The two nod and leave down the hallway, Pidge asking question after question about the schematics and energy sources of the Altean pods.

Shiro turns back to the bridge. Keith catches his eyes, then dips his head towards Adam, who’s looking over the Altean displays. Shiro smiles weakly, and Keith rolls his eyes.

The cadet approaches Adam and taps his shoulder. Adam looks up and is redirected to Shiro, who tilts his head at the exit. He can see Adam’s reluctance and faux ease, as the man makes his way to the door. Behind him, Keith rolls his eyes again, and crosses his arms.

Adam meets him in the hallway, and the bridge door slides shut.

 

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Allura’s translated British accent snaps Keith out of his grousing. “What exactly are your relationships to Shiro and Adam?”

“Shiro already said,” he replies coolly. “Pidge, Lance, and Hunk are students of Adam’s. Shiro used to teach me, Lance, and Hunk before he got abducted.”

“So Shiro and Adam were colleagues?” Allura blinks. “What does that make you to them?”

“Excuse me?”

“I can see the mentor-student relationship with Hunk, Lance, and Pidge, however…” Allura’s lips quirk in confusion. “With you. It’s not the same.”

Keith’s jaw tightens. He turns away.

“I do mind.”

“Pardon?”

“I do mind you asking,” Keith says tersely. “If you want to know, ask them yourself.”

He sits himself down on the steps and refuses to say anything else.

 

“Are you all right?” he asks, voice low. Adam flashes him a cheerful smile that doesn’t reach his eyes in the slightest.

“I’m just mentally preparing myself to watch my ex-fiancé and four of my students pilot an ancient weapon and join an intergalactic war,” says Adam. “I’m fine. After all, it’s not my life on the frontlines.”

“Adam, please–” Shiro frowns, but Adam holds up a hand, his voice dangerously calm.

“No, I get it. The magic lions chose you five. A prisoner of war and four kids to fight an alien emperor who’s older than every single one of our common ancestors.” Adam closes his eyes and breathes out. “And I won’t stop you this time. I can’t. This is just… who you are, apparently.”

Reckless, selfless, too heroic and too stupid to live.

Shiro watches, as Adam meets his gaze. The man smiles. It still doesn’t reach his watering eyes.

“I’ll wait here for you, for every single one of you, but I don’t think I could bear losing my– my–” Adam’s face shatters. “I can’t. Not again.”

And suddenly Shiro wonders, if Adam hadn’t gotten to Keith’s cottage in time, if Adam hadn’t gone with them to find the Blue Lion, if Adam hadn’t made it out to space with them…

Shiro has, once again, promised the rest of his life to his– to Adam, then running headfirst towards death.

But here they are, and Adam’s letting him go again, not with snark and veiled jabs, but pain and acceptance. For Shiro, there is no choice anymore. For Adam, there is the same choice as the first time.

Shiro doesn’t believe in reincarnation, but if he did, he’d wish they’d have a life together, a safe one, a secure one, _together_.

He takes Adam’s hand with his left, and gently presses his lips against the back.

“We deserve better than this,” Shiro murmurs quietly. Adam huffs out a laugh.

“Damn fucking right we do.”

 

The space pods hover at the opening of the wormholes, and Coran cracks a ‘joke’ about their relative safety should they be stranded. The ships propel them through the portals before any of the cadets can react. The wormholes zip shut again, and a silence falls on the bridge.

“I think I’ll set up accommodations in the meantime,” Adam says easily. “Where can we stay?”

Coran pulls up a list of empty rooms (a _lot_ of them), and Adam retreats to one of the lounges to pick out lodging for the paladins.

He doesn’t mean to start crying, but he does. He sets the alien tablet aside curls up into a ball and sobs into his knees like the children he can’t protect.

How wonderful, to get a piece of himself back, and lose it all over again.

The universe is cruel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahaha oops. yeah. adam's not okay. no one's really okay. they'll deal with it. eventually.
> 
> and yes~ next chapter should be the last part for the first episode recap, because i'll be skipping over them finding their lions (this is very adam-centric) and most of the fight. but sendak shows up at last, and shiro begins to remember some things...

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tunglr [@imaginal](http://imaginal.tumblr.com) and twitter [@vivoeux](https://twitter.com/vivoeux), if y'all want.


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